Chapter 13 of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
(_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill." "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke." "A slooworm; he wont sting." "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top." "Look here, oh! quick, be quick."
Chapter 13 of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect is here in full — 276 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
jump lightly
From this reading “"Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."”
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
move about in a confused manner
From this reading “(_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “"Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."”
third-person singular of “sing” — deliver by singing
cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
From this reading “"A slooworm; he wont sting."”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “"Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."”
an established custom
From this reading “"A slooworm; he wont sting."”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Look here, oh! quick, be quick."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A slooworm; he wont sting."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Look here, oh! quick, be quick."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
jump lightly
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look here, oh! quick, be quick."
move about in a confused manner
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading "Look here, oh! quick, be quick."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
third-person singular of “sing” — deliver by singing
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A slooworm; he wont sting."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
cause a sharp or stinging pain or discomfort
From this reading "A slooworm; he wont sting."
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
a special situation
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
the upper part of anything
From this reading "Hee! hee! how she did squal an' hop, A-spinnen roun' so quick's a top."
displeasing to the senses
From this reading "Oh! here's an ugly crawlen thing, A sneaeke."
up to a particular time
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
an established custom
From this reading "A slooworm; he wont sting."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
a small inflamed elevation of the skin; a pustule or papule; common symptom in acne
From this reading (_Jenny sings_) "I would zit down and cry my vill Until my tears would dreve a mill."
Chapter 13 of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect by William Barnes holds 276 sentences, grouped into 56 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 13 holds 276 sentences of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect by William Barnes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 276 sentences, grouped into 56 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 13 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect by William Barnes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
